Families Part II: What Now?
by Jayne Foyer
Summary: Zuko was crowned only a few weeks ago. The gAang is still at Bah Sing Se. Katara and Sokka have a short conversation on a hilltop, addressing the most pressing question of them all - what happens now?


**What Now?**

The moon was beautiful. It was gigantic and silver, hanging perfectly still in the sky. It was a cloudless night, and the stars were shining brighter than Katara had ever seen them. She shivered; she was wearing her Fire Nation clothes, and they were a little too thin to keep her warm in the chilly breezes of Bah Sing Se.

She was lying in the grass, staring up at the huge expanse of sky above her. Her arms were behind her head, and her eyes reflected the lights of the moon and sky, but she couldn't really see them anymore. She was thinking too hard.

Aang would probably start to freak out when he realized she was missing. He was convinced that this new habit of wandering the city after dark was just an invitation for trouble. But he didn't understand how much Katara _needed _this. Everything was just so overwhelming – she was acting as an ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe! At _fourteen years old!_ – that she just needed some time alone now and then.

She sighed and sat up, leaning heavily on her hands. It was probably a good idea to go back to the apartment. She couldn't pretend the cold wasn't bothering her anymore.

But then a shooting star streaked through the sky. And, along with that odd flash of panic that she felt whenever she was reminded of the last time she had to deal with a comet, there was another sense of awe and wonder. She returned to her prone position, and followed the star with her eyes.

She didn't know how long she had been out there, on a small hill on the outskirts of Bah Sing Se, but eventually she was dragged from her reverie by the sound of footsteps crunching across the wet grass.

Sitting straight up, ready to bend the water from the plants if necessary, she stared towards the source of the noise.

Her brother's figure appeared, warily trudging up the slope to meet her. He smiled when he saw her, and she relaxed. He followed suit.

When he got closer, Katara realized he was carrying a coat and two cups of steaming hot tea in his hands. She giggled. He was _such _a big brother.

He almost knocked her down when he threw the coat her way, and then he slowly sat down next to her, careful not to spill the tea. He handed a cup to her.

"What, you didn't think of even making a fire?" he asked her. "It's freezing up here."

"It's not _that _cold," she said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, if you thought I needed a fire, you would have sent Zuko up."

"Zuko's…busy."

Katara giggled. "With what?"

"With _who_, more like," he replied with a grin. "Mai and him haven't shut up for the past three hours. I don't know how Suki sleeps through it."  
"Aw, you're just jealous. Haven't been getting enough from Suki lately?"

He shoved her shoulder. She laughed at him. "Oh, yeah, Katara, look who's talking. I guess Aang must be pretty jealous too."

She made a face. "That's gross, Sokka."

Instead of snapping something insulting back at her, like she anticipated, a satisfied smirk appeared on his face. "Zuko owes me three silver pieces."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"We had a bet."

"A bet."

"Yeah."

"On what?"

"You're not going to like it."

"Come on, you've got me curious. Now you have to tell me."

Sokka grinned at her. "Well, we sort of had a bet on whether or not you and Aang…well…you know…_did it _yet."

Katara's jaw dropped. "And Zuko actually took you up on that bet?"

"Oh yeah. I knew I was right though. Aang's like, such a goody two-shoes that there was no way that he would have even thought about it. And you're too good of a little sister to do that to me."

She laughed. "Oh yeah, it was all for you, Sokka."

"I know. You just love me so much."

There was a few more minutes of silence, then Katara said, "This is so weird."

"Yeah, it is," agreed Sokka. "Talking with my sister about getting some. It's eerie."

She laughed and punched him lightly on the shoulder, something she had picked up from Toph somewhere along the way.

"I wasn't talking about that, Dummy," she said, using a nickname from before they even discovered Aang. "I mean, it's weird that things are suddenly just okay. To think, we actually saved the world…"

"Sounds pretty cheesy, doesn't it?" asked Sokka, setting down his empty cup of tea and lying down. Katara did the same thing.

"It actually does. But, Sokka, I was wondering…" She bit her lip, then chanced a glance at her brother. He was staring softly up at the moon, a faint smile on his face. Upon seeing his expression, she calmed down and continued her thought. "What happens now? Where do we go from here? Is this it? Are we…done?"

There was no sound for a couple moments, then Sokka chuckled quietly. "Katara, come on. You _know _what's going to happen now."

"No, I don't. I really don't, Sokka, and that scares me."

"And it didn't scare you when you didn't know whether or not we were going to _survive?_...Jeez Katara, I swear this is the most scared I've ever seen you act."

She hit him again. "Don't make fun of me! I'm serious!"

He sighed. "The world is like one massive expensive vase right now. The Fire Lord knocked it off balance and it shattered into pieces. And now it's our job to glue it all back together."

"Wow, that's a great analogy. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Shut up! Now _I'm _trying to be serious." Katara smirked and obliged. "Anyway. Where was I? Oh yes. Katara, pretty much the whole universe hates the Fire Nation right now. And we have to make it so they not only don't hate the Fire Nation, but they trade and communicate openly. There's going to be no more secrets between the nations. We're going to make the world one big happy family."

Katara laughed. "That'll be hard."

"Exactly. That's why we have to do it. We're the only ones who _can _do it."

Katara looked at her brother dubiously.

"No, really! Think about it! Members from the four nations – a bender of every element, Katara! – they all united together. _We _are living proof that it's possible for everyone in the world to live in perfect harmony."

Katara hadn't thought of that. She pondered it for a few moments.

"That's a good point."

"You seriously hadn't thought of that before?"

She rolled her eyes at him again, grinning.

After a long time of thinking hard, Katara finally shook her head and sat up. "Oh Sokka. It's going to be so hard."

Sokka sat up too, his eyes on his little sister. "C'mere Katara."

Even though she felt like a baby for doing it, she sighed and put her arms around her older brother.

"Yeah, it's going to be super hard," he said casually. "But we're all still going to be together, I promise."

She closed her eyes. "But what if…"

"Don't be like that. Don't even think like that. Things are going to work out just fine. And, in a few years, everyone will forget that there even _was_ a war. I promise."

His voice softened. "Katara, please, listen to me. Even if we're a thousand miles away, there is no way we'll ever stop being friends." He paused. "We'll always be a family, Katara. You'll always have your family."

Wishing the tears that she could already feel building up would go away, she leaned into her brother's shoulder and whispered, "I know. I guess there's just nothing I can do to get rid of them."

Sokka smiled.

"Of course there isn't. We're never leaving you, Katara. And there's nothing you can do about it."

Katara held her brother tighter, pressing her face into his shirt so he couldn't see the tears that had finally decided to show themselves.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part II in my four part Families series. I'll add the link for the next one when I have it posted.

Because the world needs more Sokka/Katara non-incest fanfictions. Although admittedly I have never looked for any, non-incest or otherwise. Hmm. :D

Review, people. There's no better way to improve!


End file.
